1 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind from how Stuff 2 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:13,840 Speaker 1: Works dot com. Hey, welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind. 3 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:17,239 Speaker 1: My name is Robert Lamb and I'm Julie Douglas. Julie, 4 00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:19,880 Speaker 1: what's your opinion on dolphins? Let's just get get it out. 5 00:00:19,880 --> 00:00:25,440 Speaker 1: What is your straightforward view on dolphins as a human female, 6 00:00:26,040 --> 00:00:29,320 Speaker 1: As a human female, it makes total sense. Why, um, 7 00:00:29,360 --> 00:00:33,920 Speaker 1: there are vans that have the depiction of dolphins on 8 00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:36,199 Speaker 1: the sides of them. Now, when you put it like that, 9 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:41,920 Speaker 1: dolphin vans, dolphins, right, T shirts, it all makes sense. 10 00:00:42,080 --> 00:00:47,000 Speaker 1: The tattoos the symbol of love and unity. Yeah, this 11 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:50,559 Speaker 1: kind of like if you see them depicted in art 12 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:54,440 Speaker 1: and tattoos and van murals, um and uh and gatty 13 00:00:54,520 --> 00:00:59,160 Speaker 1: t shirts, like they're this supernatural sea being that rises 14 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:04,000 Speaker 1: up from the water to the stove, gifts on on 15 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:07,280 Speaker 1: on on fishermen that happened to catch them in their 16 00:01:07,319 --> 00:01:10,720 Speaker 1: nets or something. It's yeah, it's really kind of strange. 17 00:01:10,760 --> 00:01:12,520 Speaker 1: I think it's clear to say that we have an 18 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:14,840 Speaker 1: obsession with them as humans or you know, as of 19 00:01:14,920 --> 00:01:18,000 Speaker 1: late yeah, right, And and this could be because of Flipper, 20 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:22,080 Speaker 1: which is what like nineteen sixties subtly that that show, 21 00:01:22,120 --> 00:01:25,200 Speaker 1: which sort of introduced everybody to this incredible creature. And 22 00:01:25,240 --> 00:01:28,360 Speaker 1: I think most people before that thought, oh, dolphins just 23 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:31,399 Speaker 1: one of those you know, fish swimming around. It's not 24 00:01:31,520 --> 00:01:35,000 Speaker 1: that exciting, some sort of freaky sea mammal, you know. Yeah, 25 00:01:35,080 --> 00:01:36,440 Speaker 1: did not a lot of thought put into it. And 26 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:38,200 Speaker 1: of course, part of part of this has to do 27 00:01:38,240 --> 00:01:41,360 Speaker 1: with the whole flipper craze also has its roots with 28 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:47,800 Speaker 1: John C. Lily, the out there um fringy. Well, at 29 00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:49,560 Speaker 1: his best, he was kind of a fringe scientist and 30 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:52,000 Speaker 1: then he just completely jumped over the fringe and took 31 00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:56,400 Speaker 1: off willy nilly into the into the bushes of of 32 00:01:56,800 --> 00:01:59,360 Speaker 1: non science. Yeah. And for a while though he was 33 00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:03,760 Speaker 1: pretty well funded um and was doing some very freaky experiments, 34 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:07,480 Speaker 1: including flooding a house for two weeks and uh having 35 00:02:07,480 --> 00:02:10,680 Speaker 1: one of his research assistance female hole up with a dolphin. 36 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:13,840 Speaker 1: And we we we've talked about it before. It's in fact, 37 00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:17,480 Speaker 1: we talked about it in the weirdo rock Star Lives 38 00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:21,200 Speaker 1: of Scientists, So there's much more of that there. But 39 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:23,000 Speaker 1: but it was a period where suddenly, you know, for 40 00:02:23,040 --> 00:02:25,200 Speaker 1: all his faults, he was like, hey, dolphins are pretty 41 00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:29,160 Speaker 1: incredible creatures. And they have some really incredible characteristics and 42 00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:32,600 Speaker 1: mental Uh, they have an amazing mental capacity. Yeah, and 43 00:02:32,639 --> 00:02:35,400 Speaker 1: their mammals like us, which not you know, it's probably 44 00:02:35,400 --> 00:02:38,120 Speaker 1: not apparent to everybody at first, but um, they presided 45 00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:39,840 Speaker 1: me they're young for the first eight months of life. 46 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:43,560 Speaker 1: Um and and I think that we can't help but 47 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:48,079 Speaker 1: find similarities between ourselves and dolphins, particularly when we think 48 00:02:48,120 --> 00:02:51,919 Speaker 1: about their language capabilities. And again this is sort of 49 00:02:51,919 --> 00:02:54,880 Speaker 1: the whole like Flipper thing John C. Lily thing. These 50 00:02:54,919 --> 00:02:58,920 Speaker 1: are the people or the ways that showed us that 51 00:02:58,919 --> 00:03:02,040 Speaker 1: that dolphins can really talk to us in a certain way. 52 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:04,360 Speaker 1: And you think about it this way, this is pretty amazing. 53 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:07,160 Speaker 1: This is pointed out in the movie The Cove. Dolphins 54 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:10,800 Speaker 1: can understand sign language, which okay, yeah, great, so can chimpanzees. 55 00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:15,440 Speaker 1: But think about this. Dolphins do not have hands fingers. 56 00:03:15,480 --> 00:03:18,600 Speaker 1: It's true, they don't. They don't even have the reference material, 57 00:03:18,720 --> 00:03:21,440 Speaker 1: which is so interesting to think that they would be 58 00:03:21,480 --> 00:03:24,680 Speaker 1: able to take all this sign language. Um and again, 59 00:03:24,720 --> 00:03:28,639 Speaker 1: which we already know we created based on our finger system, right, 60 00:03:28,880 --> 00:03:31,960 Speaker 1: and we've got the number system based on our finger system. 61 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:34,400 Speaker 1: A lot of language is based on our number system. 62 00:03:34,520 --> 00:03:37,880 Speaker 1: But these guys know. Wow, so they can't type either. 63 00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:39,120 Speaker 1: Like if I were to call them out on the 64 00:03:39,160 --> 00:03:41,480 Speaker 1: blogs and like talk a lot of snack dolphins are 65 00:03:41,560 --> 00:03:43,360 Speaker 1: gonna type, what are they gonna do? They're just gonna go. 66 00:03:44,600 --> 00:03:48,480 Speaker 1: They've got that brain computer interface though, so they should 67 00:03:48,480 --> 00:03:51,600 Speaker 1: be blogging soon. Oh, the the brain computer interface. Yeah, 68 00:03:51,840 --> 00:03:56,880 Speaker 1: we'll get to um. Yeah they are, they are. Well. 69 00:03:57,120 --> 00:03:59,360 Speaker 1: We should also mention the whole cute factor really quick, 70 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:02,400 Speaker 1: because even though I'm not convinced that they are cute 71 00:04:02,680 --> 00:04:05,720 Speaker 1: per se, they do have that sort of freaky smile. Look, 72 00:04:05,800 --> 00:04:07,680 Speaker 1: they kind of look like they're smiling. They have a 73 00:04:07,720 --> 00:04:09,920 Speaker 1: permo smile. Yeah, And I tried to get to the 74 00:04:09,960 --> 00:04:12,280 Speaker 1: bottom of business here with you about this, Like what 75 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:13,720 Speaker 1: it was that freaked you out about? It was the 76 00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:17,159 Speaker 1: Uncanny Valley effect. Maybe just because it's a Permo smile. 77 00:04:17,680 --> 00:04:19,680 Speaker 1: I mean, it's cute. How can you not know it's 78 00:04:19,920 --> 00:04:21,640 Speaker 1: But it's like it is kind of a permo smile. 79 00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:24,200 Speaker 1: It's kind of like the joker or something. Or it's 80 00:04:24,240 --> 00:04:27,080 Speaker 1: also it's like I've had this conversation with my wife 81 00:04:27,080 --> 00:04:29,440 Speaker 1: before about our cat where I would be like, what 82 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:31,640 Speaker 1: would it be like if the cat could smile? Or laugh, 83 00:04:31,720 --> 00:04:34,240 Speaker 1: and we both agree that would be really creepy. So 84 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:37,280 Speaker 1: the idea of an animal smiling or even appearing like 85 00:04:37,320 --> 00:04:39,760 Speaker 1: we kind of flow with it. With dogs, I guess, 86 00:04:39,760 --> 00:04:42,240 Speaker 1: not that dogs actually smile, but they kind of have, 87 00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:44,520 Speaker 1: you know, when they're panting, they open their mouth and 88 00:04:44,520 --> 00:04:46,800 Speaker 1: we're like, oh, he looks happy. They got the ears 89 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:49,240 Speaker 1: that yet it works more with them, But but with 90 00:04:49,279 --> 00:04:51,680 Speaker 1: the dolphin, I'm just kind of like, what's they smiling about? 91 00:04:51,800 --> 00:04:54,680 Speaker 1: What's it's? You know, what is this idea of fun 92 00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:57,919 Speaker 1: or humor? It probably doesn't line up with my idea 93 00:04:57,920 --> 00:05:00,240 Speaker 1: of fun or humor. Well, regardless of still on the 94 00:05:00,279 --> 00:05:05,320 Speaker 1: pantheon of cuteness next to unicorns, kittens, and horses. Yes, 95 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:10,520 Speaker 1: so it's uh, if we turn back the clock on 96 00:05:10,600 --> 00:05:13,560 Speaker 1: the dolphin, if we start looking at where they came from, 97 00:05:13,640 --> 00:05:16,240 Speaker 1: they of course did not come from another planet. Uh. 98 00:05:16,279 --> 00:05:18,560 Speaker 1: There there, let's go ahead and dismiss that right out. 99 00:05:18,960 --> 00:05:21,960 Speaker 1: They are not um, you know, here to study us 100 00:05:22,080 --> 00:05:25,200 Speaker 1: um and report back to the mothership. But they did 101 00:05:25,279 --> 00:05:30,560 Speaker 1: evolve from um other forms of life, as everything else has. 102 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:33,240 Speaker 1: And if you do you turn back the clock current, 103 00:05:33,279 --> 00:05:35,520 Speaker 1: according to current studies, you end up with a very 104 00:05:35,520 --> 00:05:37,880 Speaker 1: strange looking creature that I will I'll either put a 105 00:05:37,920 --> 00:05:40,359 Speaker 1: picture of this on the accompanying blog post for this 106 00:05:40,960 --> 00:05:45,039 Speaker 1: podcast or for this episode, or I will um, I'll 107 00:05:45,040 --> 00:05:46,680 Speaker 1: embed it or something just so you can see it. 108 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:52,080 Speaker 1: Because the the earlier form of life that modern dolphins 109 00:05:52,080 --> 00:05:57,080 Speaker 1: evolved from looks kind of like a uh, how do 110 00:05:57,120 --> 00:06:00,240 Speaker 1: it describe the Yes, the opposite A cute kind of 111 00:06:00,240 --> 00:06:04,080 Speaker 1: like a hyena hippo, Like a hyena hip and a 112 00:06:04,160 --> 00:06:07,159 Speaker 1: hippo had a baby, and that baby like had some 113 00:06:07,200 --> 00:06:09,520 Speaker 1: plastic surgery done when it grew up. It's a look 114 00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:12,840 Speaker 1: more like an alligator. Yeah, I can I see that. 115 00:06:12,880 --> 00:06:15,159 Speaker 1: There's like the head has the features of the hippo 116 00:06:15,279 --> 00:06:17,400 Speaker 1: sort of around the eyes and in the cheekbones if 117 00:06:17,400 --> 00:06:18,599 Speaker 1: you could say that they don't know that they have 118 00:06:18,640 --> 00:06:20,679 Speaker 1: cheek bones. Um, but yeah, the rest of the body 119 00:06:20,680 --> 00:06:22,920 Speaker 1: sort of looks like an alligator. Yeah. If they had 120 00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:25,760 Speaker 1: had like chicken coops forty eight million years ago, this 121 00:06:25,800 --> 00:06:27,960 Speaker 1: thing looks like it would just eat chickens NonStop. Like 122 00:06:28,040 --> 00:06:30,240 Speaker 1: there's something kind of fox like about it. Yeah, And 123 00:06:30,279 --> 00:06:32,640 Speaker 1: it's surprising when you think about the dolphin today, which 124 00:06:32,680 --> 00:06:35,000 Speaker 1: is sleek and I won't say cuddly, because they're not cuddly, 125 00:06:35,120 --> 00:06:37,599 Speaker 1: but they're playful. And again they've got the permo smile. 126 00:06:37,760 --> 00:06:39,880 Speaker 1: This is the opposite of that. Yeah, this is kind 127 00:06:39,880 --> 00:06:41,880 Speaker 1: of have the more of a sort of a perma 128 00:06:42,480 --> 00:06:47,720 Speaker 1: snarl going on. And uh so this creature again forty 129 00:06:47,760 --> 00:06:49,359 Speaker 1: eight million years ago, it would have been a semi 130 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:55,520 Speaker 1: aquatic herbivore um with the name the end or something 131 00:06:55,600 --> 00:06:59,320 Speaker 1: like that. Yeah, endoyas let's call it called that. And 132 00:07:00,120 --> 00:07:04,040 Speaker 1: it was actually a related to the hippo. I mean, 133 00:07:04,040 --> 00:07:07,960 Speaker 1: the hippo is a is a fairly close evolutionary relative 134 00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:12,520 Speaker 1: to all cessations. Yeah, and uh, I mean this is 135 00:07:12,560 --> 00:07:15,160 Speaker 1: this is the group of of the hoof first, I 136 00:07:15,200 --> 00:07:18,480 Speaker 1: guess you could say, right, the hoof ones and um. 137 00:07:18,520 --> 00:07:21,480 Speaker 1: As a result of this information, um, and this is 138 00:07:21,520 --> 00:07:23,480 Speaker 1: the best gas right too. We don't have Yeah, we 139 00:07:24,320 --> 00:07:26,800 Speaker 1: all just based on theory. Yeah, but some people have said, oh, 140 00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:29,680 Speaker 1: they've evolved from dogs. This is not true. You'll see 141 00:07:29,680 --> 00:07:32,920 Speaker 1: that sometimes, um, you know obviously on the internet out there. 142 00:07:33,320 --> 00:07:36,600 Speaker 1: But because you know of their connection with rhinos um 143 00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:38,920 Speaker 1: and and you know obviously like an alligators as well, 144 00:07:39,040 --> 00:07:41,440 Speaker 1: this you know, you see some similarities in terms of 145 00:07:41,880 --> 00:07:46,240 Speaker 1: starting out as being a shallow waters forager. This is 146 00:07:46,320 --> 00:07:49,120 Speaker 1: this is what the dolphin was doing, hanging out, you know, 147 00:07:49,760 --> 00:07:53,680 Speaker 1: beach cheer in the water. And then you know, throughout 148 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:56,400 Speaker 1: the years became a bit of a more sleeker version 149 00:07:56,440 --> 00:08:00,200 Speaker 1: of this self, right as as natural selection kicked then 150 00:08:00,360 --> 00:08:03,960 Speaker 1: and uh what in the the more aquatic variations were 151 00:08:03,960 --> 00:08:06,480 Speaker 1: the ones that survived. Yeah, but we should probably talk 152 00:08:06,520 --> 00:08:08,679 Speaker 1: a little bit more too about the features of dolphins. 153 00:08:08,720 --> 00:08:15,680 Speaker 1: They bill anticetations right along with porpoises and whales, and um, 154 00:08:15,760 --> 00:08:17,760 Speaker 1: these guys can measure as long as thirteen feet in 155 00:08:17,760 --> 00:08:21,520 Speaker 1: weigh one thousand pounds, so they can get up there. Um, 156 00:08:21,600 --> 00:08:24,840 Speaker 1: they come superficially resemble fishes we've talked about. They are 157 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:27,840 Speaker 1: mammals um, and they travel and pods of up to 158 00:08:27,920 --> 00:08:31,440 Speaker 1: a dozen dolphins, which is interesting because this is the 159 00:08:31,520 --> 00:08:33,840 Speaker 1: sort of community that they're in. It's not just that 160 00:08:33,880 --> 00:08:36,360 Speaker 1: they're hanging out that this is usually their families that 161 00:08:36,400 --> 00:08:38,520 Speaker 1: they're traveling along with. And we'll talk a little bit 162 00:08:38,760 --> 00:08:41,760 Speaker 1: more about that later and how it's sort of um 163 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:44,800 Speaker 1: makes us better understand them as being social creatures like us. 164 00:08:46,800 --> 00:08:50,760 Speaker 1: And uh, they have pretty big brains too. Yeah, based 165 00:08:50,760 --> 00:08:52,840 Speaker 1: on m R. I scans, we can you know, we've 166 00:08:52,840 --> 00:08:54,880 Speaker 1: really been able to get in there and go elbow 167 00:08:54,920 --> 00:08:59,640 Speaker 1: deep into these fantastic delphin dolphin brains and uh, they're 168 00:08:59,679 --> 00:09:02,280 Speaker 1: they're big relative to their body size, and they have 169 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:08,520 Speaker 1: a highly convoluted neo cortex, which is a structure that 170 00:09:08,559 --> 00:09:13,240 Speaker 1: also allows for self awareness, processing of complex emotions, and 171 00:09:14,600 --> 00:09:17,840 Speaker 1: they we we tend to see their U. The evolution 172 00:09:17,880 --> 00:09:22,520 Speaker 1: of the dolphin brain um as its occurring in various 173 00:09:22,520 --> 00:09:26,160 Speaker 1: growth spurts throughout history, Like the first big jump would 174 00:09:26,200 --> 00:09:28,360 Speaker 1: have happened about thirty nine million years ago, and this 175 00:09:28,400 --> 00:09:31,520 Speaker 1: is when you had primitive dolphins that have you know, 176 00:09:31,559 --> 00:09:34,600 Speaker 1: they've they've they've diverged, they've shot off, they're they're living 177 00:09:34,600 --> 00:09:37,360 Speaker 1: it up in the water. And uh, this is around 178 00:09:37,400 --> 00:09:42,439 Speaker 1: the time that echolocation became really big. And yeah, I 179 00:09:42,480 --> 00:09:44,280 Speaker 1: think of bats, except it's you know, it's a it's 180 00:09:44,280 --> 00:09:46,680 Speaker 1: a little more complex than that. But they're using sound 181 00:09:46,720 --> 00:09:49,840 Speaker 1: to see things, using sound to hunt. And we've observed 182 00:09:49,840 --> 00:09:53,960 Speaker 1: some remarkable um examples of this, of of them using 183 00:09:53,960 --> 00:09:57,240 Speaker 1: it to to track prey and actually sort of heard 184 00:09:57,280 --> 00:10:02,319 Speaker 1: them in UM. It's U really incredible. It's very sophisticated. 185 00:10:02,360 --> 00:10:05,320 Speaker 1: So now or basically Yeah, there's actually one study that 186 00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:08,960 Speaker 1: they had a couple of dolphins and um, it was 187 00:10:09,160 --> 00:10:12,240 Speaker 1: predicated basically on them being able to get some fish. 188 00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:14,480 Speaker 1: So each of them had to hit a letter on 189 00:10:14,520 --> 00:10:17,600 Speaker 1: the right or left and they had to mimic each 190 00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:19,760 Speaker 1: other and then they'd get the fish. They'd be rewarded 191 00:10:19,800 --> 00:10:21,400 Speaker 1: with that. Well, they did that over and over again, 192 00:10:21,400 --> 00:10:23,000 Speaker 1: and then they did it in different rooms where they 193 00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:25,719 Speaker 1: couldn't see each other, and finally they did it to 194 00:10:25,760 --> 00:10:28,400 Speaker 1: the point where they could only hear each other. And again, 195 00:10:28,559 --> 00:10:32,520 Speaker 1: if the other dolphin does not hit the correct button, 196 00:10:32,800 --> 00:10:34,720 Speaker 1: then they're not going to get the fish. And so 197 00:10:34,800 --> 00:10:39,160 Speaker 1: what they observed is that even in another room that 198 00:10:39,840 --> 00:10:42,800 Speaker 1: they would hear the dolphins say something to the other dolphin, 199 00:10:43,320 --> 00:10:46,560 Speaker 1: which then was construted as hey hit the left lever, buddy, 200 00:10:46,640 --> 00:10:48,559 Speaker 1: or something along this line, so we can get this fish. 201 00:10:48,960 --> 00:10:51,200 Speaker 1: And in fact, they would do this over and over again. 202 00:10:51,480 --> 00:10:53,880 Speaker 1: And it just shows you that the power of echo 203 00:10:54,040 --> 00:10:59,520 Speaker 1: location is for them, um, so incredible and used in 204 00:10:59,559 --> 00:11:02,880 Speaker 1: ways that you know, they could particularly just be sort 205 00:11:02,880 --> 00:11:06,440 Speaker 1: of blind and be able to see using this sonar 206 00:11:06,880 --> 00:11:10,560 Speaker 1: and um, you also draw dragged in the social uh 207 00:11:10,679 --> 00:11:16,160 Speaker 1: connotation there because that was another evolutionary spurt in brain 208 00:11:16,240 --> 00:11:19,360 Speaker 1: size that occurred they think about fifteen million years ago 209 00:11:20,080 --> 00:11:24,280 Speaker 1: as they developed a more social lifestyle and uh and 210 00:11:24,679 --> 00:11:27,439 Speaker 1: social interactions that takes a fair amount of brain power. 211 00:11:27,880 --> 00:11:31,520 Speaker 1: So the brain again began to grow inside become became 212 00:11:31,600 --> 00:11:35,360 Speaker 1: more complex as they had to us as the dolphins 213 00:11:35,360 --> 00:11:40,040 Speaker 1: that were better capable of navigating uh, their social structure 214 00:11:39,760 --> 00:11:43,400 Speaker 1: were the ones to survive and become the species. Yeah, 215 00:11:43,520 --> 00:11:45,600 Speaker 1: we know in humans too that we develop our neo 216 00:11:45,640 --> 00:11:48,520 Speaker 1: cortex in part as a way to to deal with 217 00:11:48,720 --> 00:11:52,760 Speaker 1: our social situations, including parenting. And again there's another parallel 218 00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:55,160 Speaker 1: because you do see dolphins staying with your young for 219 00:11:55,200 --> 00:11:58,160 Speaker 1: two three years raising them, and again there's a whole 220 00:11:58,200 --> 00:12:00,640 Speaker 1: feeding thing for eight months at the very big and 221 00:12:00,679 --> 00:12:03,839 Speaker 1: then traveling as a family. Yeah, you'll typically see the 222 00:12:04,000 --> 00:12:08,000 Speaker 1: vacation spots. Um. They're always kind of loud though, because 223 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:11,559 Speaker 1: they're they're taking photos and yeah, yeah, I know, the 224 00:12:11,640 --> 00:12:16,600 Speaker 1: loud shirts. What are you gonna do? Um? But you know, 225 00:12:16,679 --> 00:12:19,439 Speaker 1: so that's that's a I think, just a little glimpse 226 00:12:19,480 --> 00:12:22,760 Speaker 1: of their intelligence. Um. And again there their brain size 227 00:12:22,800 --> 00:12:25,959 Speaker 1: that second only to humans, so they trump everybody else 228 00:12:26,080 --> 00:12:29,720 Speaker 1: in terms of brain size umnix for us. Yeah, but 229 00:12:29,800 --> 00:12:34,280 Speaker 1: we don't use the echolocation to find things. So true true, 230 00:12:34,440 --> 00:12:36,120 Speaker 1: and we should say to that a lot of their 231 00:12:36,120 --> 00:12:40,800 Speaker 1: brain is uh, that brain space is committed for echolocation, right, 232 00:12:41,160 --> 00:12:43,400 Speaker 1: that's why one of the reasons why it's so large. Yeah, 233 00:12:44,480 --> 00:12:46,240 Speaker 1: it's one of these intruations we get into and looking 234 00:12:46,280 --> 00:12:50,719 Speaker 1: at any species though where in analyzing an animals intelligence, 235 00:12:50,760 --> 00:12:53,400 Speaker 1: you all, we always inevitably fall back on the human model. 236 00:12:53,840 --> 00:12:56,640 Speaker 1: So just because because one animal, the human is capable 237 00:12:56,720 --> 00:13:00,440 Speaker 1: of reading Moby dick and uh and the doll and isn't, 238 00:13:00,480 --> 00:13:02,720 Speaker 1: doesn't mean that the dolphin is stupid. It's just a 239 00:13:02,720 --> 00:13:05,280 Speaker 1: different type of intelligence, right, I mean and and and 240 00:13:05,360 --> 00:13:08,120 Speaker 1: actually Mobi dick, right, I mean one could be reading it, 241 00:13:08,200 --> 00:13:11,960 Speaker 1: the other could be just you know, terrorizing ships, right. 242 00:13:12,120 --> 00:13:14,240 Speaker 1: And I mean that's interesting that you bring up what 243 00:13:14,400 --> 00:13:16,520 Speaker 1: is intelligence because we've talked about it before. We've talked 244 00:13:16,520 --> 00:13:18,880 Speaker 1: about it is pattern recognition and the ability to try 245 00:13:18,880 --> 00:13:22,120 Speaker 1: to predict the future and pre plan And you see 246 00:13:22,120 --> 00:13:24,679 Speaker 1: this in dolphins again and again. We've talked about this 247 00:13:24,720 --> 00:13:27,800 Speaker 1: before about dolphins using sponges on the tips of their 248 00:13:27,840 --> 00:13:30,880 Speaker 1: noses to forage on the ocean floor. And the reason 249 00:13:30,920 --> 00:13:32,800 Speaker 1: they do that is so that in case there's some 250 00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:35,559 Speaker 1: sort of creature there, it doesn't like snap out at 251 00:13:35,600 --> 00:13:38,400 Speaker 1: them and uh you know, scar them or take a 252 00:13:38,480 --> 00:13:40,840 Speaker 1: chunk of skin off, and it allows them to kind 253 00:13:40,840 --> 00:13:43,320 Speaker 1: of see where the creatures are without getting hurt. And 254 00:13:43,320 --> 00:13:46,079 Speaker 1: obviously this takes pre planning. Yeah, I mean, it's too 255 00:13:46,080 --> 00:13:50,880 Speaker 1: of you. So it's a it's a fairly advanced technique. Yeah, yeah, exactly. 256 00:13:51,120 --> 00:13:54,760 Speaker 1: And there's another and good example I really like this 257 00:13:54,840 --> 00:13:59,199 Speaker 1: is from dolphin researcher Peter Rand Folkins. Uh. He tells 258 00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:03,640 Speaker 1: the story of out how Marine World Africa, USA. They 259 00:14:03,640 --> 00:14:07,280 Speaker 1: had trained the dolphins to retrieve trash and bring it 260 00:14:07,320 --> 00:14:09,560 Speaker 1: to the trainer and then they get a reward fish 261 00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:13,080 Speaker 1: of course. And um, what they saw is that the 262 00:14:13,120 --> 00:14:16,160 Speaker 1: dolphins would clean up the area spick and span, and 263 00:14:16,240 --> 00:14:19,960 Speaker 1: yet pieces of trash they would still find and bring 264 00:14:20,040 --> 00:14:22,560 Speaker 1: up to the trainer and get their fish. And so 265 00:14:22,600 --> 00:14:24,520 Speaker 1: they were saying, I have this as possible. This area 266 00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:27,080 Speaker 1: is completely clean. And what they had found is that 267 00:14:27,160 --> 00:14:31,840 Speaker 1: one dolphin had begun to put a stash of um 268 00:14:32,160 --> 00:14:35,120 Speaker 1: trash into this little trash bag that was on the 269 00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:39,240 Speaker 1: side that and how incredible was that that the dolphin 270 00:14:39,240 --> 00:14:41,560 Speaker 1: actually planned for that saw the trash bag and was like, Um, 271 00:14:41,600 --> 00:14:43,760 Speaker 1: that's gonna be my storehouse. That's going to make sure 272 00:14:43,840 --> 00:14:47,280 Speaker 1: that I am always knee deep in fish. Well, you know, 273 00:14:47,360 --> 00:14:49,600 Speaker 1: this gets us into the area of more into the 274 00:14:49,600 --> 00:14:52,600 Speaker 1: area of what can we have make dolphins do, which 275 00:14:53,200 --> 00:14:56,560 Speaker 1: after this brief break, we're going to discuss in detail. 276 00:15:01,800 --> 00:15:05,320 Speaker 1: This presentation is brought to you by Intel Sponsors of Tomorrow. 277 00:15:09,720 --> 00:15:13,240 Speaker 1: All right, so we're back and let's talk about what 278 00:15:13,320 --> 00:15:16,040 Speaker 1: dolphins can do for us because as humans, you know, 279 00:15:16,280 --> 00:15:19,360 Speaker 1: recognizing an animal and animals intelligence is great, but can 280 00:15:19,440 --> 00:15:22,960 Speaker 1: we use it to fight wars or to do work 281 00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:25,360 Speaker 1: that we don't want to do? I mean, sadly, a 282 00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:27,640 Speaker 1: lot of it comes down to that, or or even 283 00:15:27,720 --> 00:15:30,520 Speaker 1: what can it do to entertain me? Yeah? I know, 284 00:15:30,600 --> 00:15:33,880 Speaker 1: I'm I'm just thinking that one respect. They're really lucky 285 00:15:33,960 --> 00:15:36,800 Speaker 1: that they are no longer really dwelling animals and they're 286 00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:39,080 Speaker 1: in the water, because we probably would have them on 287 00:15:39,120 --> 00:15:42,240 Speaker 1: trash detail a lot of the highways. I can picture 288 00:15:42,240 --> 00:15:47,560 Speaker 1: them in their little orange jumpsuits. Um well, one of 289 00:15:47,600 --> 00:15:52,920 Speaker 1: the the the first efforts to make or well convinced 290 00:15:53,200 --> 00:15:54,760 Speaker 1: I don't know. It depends how you look at it. 291 00:15:54,920 --> 00:15:58,760 Speaker 1: Dolphins to do thanks for us UM back in Sea 292 00:15:58,840 --> 00:16:02,160 Speaker 1: Lab two, which we discussed in our Life Aquatic podcast. 293 00:16:02,800 --> 00:16:06,840 Speaker 1: This was UM at Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco, 294 00:16:06,920 --> 00:16:11,360 Speaker 1: and this was an underwater laboratory environment. Uh, most of 295 00:16:11,400 --> 00:16:14,120 Speaker 1: the tests they were doing that we're just figuring out, Hey, 296 00:16:14,160 --> 00:16:17,200 Speaker 1: can people work, um, say, at a depth of two 297 00:16:17,560 --> 00:16:21,440 Speaker 1: feet for thirty straight days? Can they you know, can 298 00:16:21,480 --> 00:16:24,400 Speaker 1: they can they carry out experiments? Are they gonna go 299 00:16:24,480 --> 00:16:27,000 Speaker 1: crazy or become sick? Yeah? It was human centric, Yeah, 300 00:16:27,080 --> 00:16:29,240 Speaker 1: very very human centric. They also experiment with the trained 301 00:16:29,240 --> 00:16:31,960 Speaker 1: por porpoise named Toufee to do courier work between the 302 00:16:31,960 --> 00:16:35,400 Speaker 1: habitat um on the ocean floor and the surface, and 303 00:16:35,400 --> 00:16:39,320 Speaker 1: instead of using a hose to provide the humans with 304 00:16:39,400 --> 00:16:42,280 Speaker 1: the all the supplies from the surface, the Navy sometimes 305 00:16:42,400 --> 00:16:46,520 Speaker 1: used toughie to bring things down, things like male tools 306 00:16:46,560 --> 00:16:49,800 Speaker 1: and even bottles of soda. So I'm not saying it 307 00:16:49,840 --> 00:16:52,800 Speaker 1: wasn't kind of demeaning to the dolphin, but um, but 308 00:16:52,840 --> 00:16:55,720 Speaker 1: it was based in pure research saying it was sort 309 00:16:55,720 --> 00:16:58,800 Speaker 1: of beyond what they should have been doing, or well, 310 00:16:58,960 --> 00:17:01,200 Speaker 1: I mean they should have been doing like watercolors. Well, 311 00:17:02,320 --> 00:17:04,720 Speaker 1: well it gets weirder when you when you start looking 312 00:17:04,720 --> 00:17:06,480 Speaker 1: at with the the name because in you know, the U. S. 313 00:17:06,600 --> 00:17:08,600 Speaker 1: Navy was more into like, all right, well they can 314 00:17:08,600 --> 00:17:11,480 Speaker 1: fetch a soda, but can they do things we actually 315 00:17:11,560 --> 00:17:13,480 Speaker 1: need them to do. Because we can get soda, we 316 00:17:13,560 --> 00:17:16,240 Speaker 1: can we can provide soda for our submarine. Right, we 317 00:17:16,280 --> 00:17:19,520 Speaker 1: can do that. But they do give them to find 318 00:17:19,600 --> 00:17:23,560 Speaker 1: explosive minds, right, yeah, so that was a big deal 319 00:17:23,560 --> 00:17:27,440 Speaker 1: in the sixties. Um mind sweeping. Yeah. They weren't disarming mines. 320 00:17:27,480 --> 00:17:29,840 Speaker 1: They weren't going down like you know, bread busting it 321 00:17:29,880 --> 00:17:32,280 Speaker 1: open and finding blue wires and red wires or anything 322 00:17:32,320 --> 00:17:34,920 Speaker 1: like that because again no hands. But they did teach 323 00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:37,640 Speaker 1: them how to how to find the mines and then 324 00:17:37,880 --> 00:17:40,080 Speaker 1: they would reward them with with a you know, a 325 00:17:40,160 --> 00:17:42,080 Speaker 1: nice fish treat. Have you ever seen a clue here? 326 00:17:42,160 --> 00:17:46,760 Speaker 1: Fish really big In the dolphin world, Yeah, yeah. Another example, 327 00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:49,600 Speaker 1: and this is again the US Navy is uh and 328 00:17:49,600 --> 00:17:51,320 Speaker 1: this is from Slate dot Com and The Tail and 329 00:17:51,359 --> 00:17:54,600 Speaker 1: the Dolphin by Daniel Anger. Um it is quote. Dolphins 330 00:17:54,600 --> 00:17:56,720 Speaker 1: and sea lions are also trained to use bite plate 331 00:17:56,760 --> 00:18:00,440 Speaker 1: systems to mark or capture water borne intruders. When they 332 00:18:00,480 --> 00:18:03,679 Speaker 1: spot an enemy diver underwater, they can poke them with 333 00:18:03,760 --> 00:18:06,960 Speaker 1: a bite plate to release a strobe light beacon, presumably 334 00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:10,080 Speaker 1: so someone can find that person. And they might also 335 00:18:10,200 --> 00:18:13,560 Speaker 1: carry c shaped clamps that snaps shut on a diver's leg. 336 00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:16,840 Speaker 1: Once a dolphin cuffs the diver, it turns back to 337 00:18:16,920 --> 00:18:19,639 Speaker 1: its hamler with a tether line. Oh my goodness, can 338 00:18:19,640 --> 00:18:22,159 Speaker 1: you imagine getting cuffed by a dolphin? Yeah, it's like 339 00:18:22,520 --> 00:18:26,280 Speaker 1: Miami Vice there. I mean, it's uh, it's amazing, it is. 340 00:18:26,560 --> 00:18:28,439 Speaker 1: I mean about the only thing more amazing is if 341 00:18:28,440 --> 00:18:32,080 Speaker 1: the tether were actually attached to the dolphin, right, Yeah, yeah, 342 00:18:32,160 --> 00:18:33,560 Speaker 1: that's true, and they could just bring them in and 343 00:18:33,600 --> 00:18:36,000 Speaker 1: they had a little dolphin car and yeah, but I 344 00:18:36,040 --> 00:18:37,800 Speaker 1: like the idea that because you don't want the dolphin 345 00:18:37,760 --> 00:18:39,480 Speaker 1: then to go rogue and like just drag the person 346 00:18:39,520 --> 00:18:41,199 Speaker 1: out to see you want him to hand him over 347 00:18:41,240 --> 00:18:43,920 Speaker 1: to the authorities. Now, but human authority. It's true, Yeah, 348 00:18:43,960 --> 00:18:46,520 Speaker 1: it's true. You know who knows what they're capable? Evenue. 349 00:18:46,520 --> 00:18:48,399 Speaker 1: It makes me think of The Onion, which has a 350 00:18:48,440 --> 00:18:51,600 Speaker 1: couple of very funny dolphin headlines, but one of them 351 00:18:51,720 --> 00:18:56,880 Speaker 1: is dolphins develop opposable thumbs and the whole article, which 352 00:18:56,880 --> 00:19:00,000 Speaker 1: is kind of funny, but actually the article is hilarious. 353 00:19:00,040 --> 00:19:02,240 Speaker 1: It talks about how now that they have a postable thombs, 354 00:19:02,320 --> 00:19:06,840 Speaker 1: humans are toast. Yeah, they're gonna take us over. They're 355 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:08,520 Speaker 1: like I said, if they were to have hands, it's 356 00:19:08,520 --> 00:19:11,040 Speaker 1: like who knows exactly what they want? Um, because we 357 00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:15,680 Speaker 1: can't talk to them and talk to him. Yes, this 358 00:19:15,720 --> 00:19:19,080 Speaker 1: is this is really interesting. Um. So if you go 359 00:19:19,119 --> 00:19:21,040 Speaker 1: back to the nineties, you had this guy named Lewis 360 00:19:21,080 --> 00:19:25,640 Speaker 1: Herman and he worked at the uh Kualo Basin Marine 361 00:19:25,880 --> 00:19:29,680 Speaker 1: Mammal Laboratory in Honolulu, and uh he discovered the bottom 362 00:19:29,680 --> 00:19:31,600 Speaker 1: of those dolphins can keep track of over a hundred 363 00:19:31,640 --> 00:19:35,000 Speaker 1: different words, and they can. They can they can roll 364 00:19:35,040 --> 00:19:38,840 Speaker 1: with different commands that use these words in different forms 365 00:19:38,880 --> 00:19:41,960 Speaker 1: like the The example that I ran across was like fristance. 366 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:43,760 Speaker 1: You should be able to say, hey, can you bring 367 00:19:43,800 --> 00:19:46,919 Speaker 1: that surfboard to me? And they would understand that, and 368 00:19:46,920 --> 00:19:49,439 Speaker 1: then they would equally understand hey can you bring me 369 00:19:49,560 --> 00:19:52,719 Speaker 1: to that surfboard? Which the difference is obvious to us, 370 00:19:52,760 --> 00:19:56,159 Speaker 1: but we're talking about I mean, the English isn't a 371 00:19:56,280 --> 00:19:59,199 Speaker 1: second language, like language is the second language for the dolphin. 372 00:19:59,280 --> 00:20:01,280 Speaker 1: You know, I think if you're trying to learn German 373 00:20:01,320 --> 00:20:04,080 Speaker 1: and how difficult that is because the placement affords and 374 00:20:04,119 --> 00:20:06,800 Speaker 1: I'm doing it as an as a dolphin, right yea, 375 00:20:07,960 --> 00:20:11,720 Speaker 1: with several languages, because your trainer could be German, right yeah, 376 00:20:11,760 --> 00:20:16,239 Speaker 1: and really fascinating. Um is this more recent approach and 377 00:20:16,280 --> 00:20:18,639 Speaker 1: one of one of them. This is mainly a dolphin 378 00:20:18,720 --> 00:20:23,320 Speaker 1: researcher by the name of Denise Herzing, and she's collaborating 379 00:20:23,359 --> 00:20:26,919 Speaker 1: with Thad Starner, who's an artificial intelligence researcher at the 380 00:20:26,960 --> 00:20:32,879 Speaker 1: Atlanta Zone, Georgia Institute of Technology, and the projects called 381 00:20:33,600 --> 00:20:38,119 Speaker 1: Cessation Hearing and Telemetry or CHAT. I think maybe they 382 00:20:38,160 --> 00:20:41,439 Speaker 1: can chat first. I don't know, I'm just stand but basically, 383 00:20:41,520 --> 00:20:44,000 Speaker 1: the the the ideas really neat here. It's all right, 384 00:20:44,080 --> 00:20:46,440 Speaker 1: so dolphins kind of had they have their own language. 385 00:20:46,560 --> 00:20:48,840 Speaker 1: And I'm doing quote marks with my fingers because it's 386 00:20:50,119 --> 00:20:52,040 Speaker 1: this is a whole different discussion about what constitutes a 387 00:20:52,119 --> 00:20:54,320 Speaker 1: language and all. But they have they can clearly um 388 00:20:54,560 --> 00:20:59,440 Speaker 1: communicate via sound. They use sound in very clever ways 389 00:20:59,440 --> 00:21:02,440 Speaker 1: and often in way that we can't even fully understands, 390 00:21:02,440 --> 00:21:04,600 Speaker 1: Like they they can produce sounds that frequencies up to 391 00:21:04,800 --> 00:21:08,840 Speaker 1: two kiloherts, around ten times as high as the highest 392 00:21:08,880 --> 00:21:11,440 Speaker 1: pitch that a human can hear, and in so many 393 00:21:11,440 --> 00:21:14,320 Speaker 1: different directions to you, right, which makes it again hard 394 00:21:14,359 --> 00:21:18,400 Speaker 1: to sort of tag what that vocalization might mean because 395 00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:21,000 Speaker 1: you don't really know as humans, we don't really know 396 00:21:21,080 --> 00:21:23,480 Speaker 1: what it's being directed to. Yeah, they occupy just a 397 00:21:23,520 --> 00:21:27,040 Speaker 1: different sonic landscape than we do as a species. So 398 00:21:27,480 --> 00:21:30,440 Speaker 1: while the past effort was let's teach them some human language, 399 00:21:30,920 --> 00:21:33,680 Speaker 1: you know, and then that met met with very limited success, 400 00:21:33,720 --> 00:21:37,040 Speaker 1: and we haven't made a lot of strides towards understanding 401 00:21:37,160 --> 00:21:38,760 Speaker 1: their language because again, a lot of us out of 402 00:21:38,800 --> 00:21:41,639 Speaker 1: our hearing. So this effort is is kind of about 403 00:21:41,720 --> 00:21:46,520 Speaker 1: developing a new language. Like meeting them halfway, right, it's fascinating. 404 00:21:46,520 --> 00:21:49,960 Speaker 1: I don't know. Um, they're they're recording interpreting in the 405 00:21:50,040 --> 00:21:53,440 Speaker 1: responding to the dolphin sounds. This is um. This is 406 00:21:53,480 --> 00:21:55,639 Speaker 1: from an article and new scientists talk with the dolphin 407 00:21:55,720 --> 00:21:59,760 Speaker 1: via underwater translation machine. UM and starting his students are 408 00:21:59,760 --> 00:22:03,199 Speaker 1: built a prototype device featuring a smartphone sized computer and 409 00:22:03,240 --> 00:22:08,360 Speaker 1: to hydrophone capable of detecting the full range of dolphins sounds. Yeah, 410 00:22:08,400 --> 00:22:10,800 Speaker 1: and then also you know, it's about detecting the patterns 411 00:22:10,960 --> 00:22:15,400 Speaker 1: within their sound cataloging detecting um IT says a diver 412 00:22:15,480 --> 00:22:18,560 Speaker 1: will carry the computer in a waterproofed case worn across 413 00:22:18,560 --> 00:22:21,680 Speaker 1: the chest, and LEDs embedded around the diver's mask will 414 00:22:21,800 --> 00:22:23,560 Speaker 1: light up to show where a sound picked up by 415 00:22:23,560 --> 00:22:26,159 Speaker 1: the hydrophones originated from. The diver will also have a 416 00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:28,200 Speaker 1: handheld device, the x as a combination of mouse and 417 00:22:28,280 --> 00:22:31,480 Speaker 1: keyboard for selecting what kind of sound to make in response. 418 00:22:32,080 --> 00:22:34,159 Speaker 1: So these are sort of the first steps in trying 419 00:22:34,200 --> 00:22:39,160 Speaker 1: to uh they're calling it co create the language, which 420 00:22:39,200 --> 00:22:42,119 Speaker 1: I think is funny because it'llaboration right because they've had 421 00:22:42,119 --> 00:22:44,040 Speaker 1: a lot of meetings with the dolphins and and they're 422 00:22:44,040 --> 00:22:47,440 Speaker 1: into it. Um So, Herzing and Starner will actually start 423 00:22:47,440 --> 00:22:50,439 Speaker 1: testing this system on wild Atlantic spotted dolphins in the 424 00:22:50,480 --> 00:22:54,360 Speaker 1: middle of this year, and at first, divers will play 425 00:22:54,359 --> 00:22:56,760 Speaker 1: back one of the eight words coined by the team 426 00:22:56,800 --> 00:23:01,240 Speaker 1: to mean like seaweed or bow wave ride for example. 427 00:23:01,400 --> 00:23:04,080 Speaker 1: Um in the software will then listen to see if 428 00:23:04,080 --> 00:23:07,920 Speaker 1: the dolphins mimic them. I don't know, we'll see I'm 429 00:23:07,960 --> 00:23:10,359 Speaker 1: I'm I'm curious, like I instantly am thinking though of 430 00:23:10,440 --> 00:23:14,560 Speaker 1: like this outrageous scenario where we make first contact with 431 00:23:14,600 --> 00:23:17,719 Speaker 1: the dolphins. Yeah yeah, Like what would like on one hand, 432 00:23:17,760 --> 00:23:19,880 Speaker 1: are they're going to say, greetings human, we I am 433 00:23:19,920 --> 00:23:22,159 Speaker 1: so glad that you can we can finally communicate as 434 00:23:22,200 --> 00:23:24,720 Speaker 1: a as as brothers, and we wish to convey to 435 00:23:24,720 --> 00:23:28,480 Speaker 1: you this this message of environmental responsibility. Or would it 436 00:23:28,480 --> 00:23:31,399 Speaker 1: be like that's that's my my erudite dolphin voice. Or 437 00:23:31,400 --> 00:23:33,399 Speaker 1: would it be like, yo, man, do you want give 438 00:23:33,440 --> 00:23:35,639 Speaker 1: me that fish? I'll totally go get your mind if 439 00:23:35,680 --> 00:23:37,600 Speaker 1: you give me that fish. Yeah yeah, or like I'll 440 00:23:37,640 --> 00:23:40,000 Speaker 1: totally tell you about gray matter, but yeah, I want 441 00:23:40,200 --> 00:23:45,000 Speaker 1: um a thousand barrels of fish right now? Uh sorry, 442 00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:51,879 Speaker 1: gray matter dark matter matter? Yeah? Either one one mistranslate. 443 00:23:51,960 --> 00:23:54,879 Speaker 1: One mistranslation between dolphin and human language. And then they 444 00:23:54,880 --> 00:23:58,879 Speaker 1: go out and start harvesting brains. That's the problem with 445 00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:01,840 Speaker 1: their newly sprung up as. They're like, they want us 446 00:24:01,840 --> 00:24:03,560 Speaker 1: to get gray matter. Do you mean in the dark matter, 447 00:24:03,560 --> 00:24:05,240 Speaker 1: all that dark matter we store at bottom of the ocean, 448 00:24:05,240 --> 00:24:06,919 Speaker 1: And they're like, no, they's a great matter. Like all right, 449 00:24:07,080 --> 00:24:11,280 Speaker 1: fish the fish, let's start harvesting brains. Let's do it. Yeah, yeah, 450 00:24:11,400 --> 00:24:15,680 Speaker 1: next thing you Knew documentary. Um, okay, so they are 451 00:24:15,840 --> 00:24:18,920 Speaker 1: very much like us, right, we've sort of discussed why 452 00:24:19,080 --> 00:24:22,680 Speaker 1: big brains mammals. They like hanging out with your young 453 00:24:22,800 --> 00:24:27,399 Speaker 1: traveling in pods, and they're altruistic, yes, which makes sense 454 00:24:27,440 --> 00:24:31,320 Speaker 1: for us um in evolutionary sense, right, because if we 455 00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:33,280 Speaker 1: do something nice for each other, then we kind of 456 00:24:33,320 --> 00:24:37,720 Speaker 1: help stabilize the species and we promote success as a whole. 457 00:24:37,760 --> 00:24:40,000 Speaker 1: But why in the world would they help humans? I 458 00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:41,520 Speaker 1: want to know why would they help That's the thing, 459 00:24:41,560 --> 00:24:43,720 Speaker 1: because you can understand them, like, you know, looking after 460 00:24:43,760 --> 00:24:46,800 Speaker 1: other dolphins in the pod because the pod needs to survive. 461 00:24:46,880 --> 00:24:49,200 Speaker 1: But you know, why are they helping out, say human 462 00:24:49,280 --> 00:24:52,960 Speaker 1: fishermen um in in South America? Where the where the 463 00:24:52,960 --> 00:24:57,160 Speaker 1: dolphins actually heard the fish in towards the nets? Or 464 00:24:57,200 --> 00:25:00,200 Speaker 1: why are they cool with you know, fetching mine ens 465 00:25:00,320 --> 00:25:03,879 Speaker 1: or or slapping handcuffs on strange divers. I mean, is 466 00:25:03,920 --> 00:25:06,720 Speaker 1: it really that that little fish treat is that important 467 00:25:06,760 --> 00:25:09,840 Speaker 1: to them? I don't know. I mean you have heard 468 00:25:09,840 --> 00:25:12,919 Speaker 1: before of people being rescued by dolphins, right, yeah, or 469 00:25:12,960 --> 00:25:15,879 Speaker 1: of surfers going you know, being about to be attacked 470 00:25:15,880 --> 00:25:17,960 Speaker 1: by a shark, and then you know sort of t 471 00:25:18,160 --> 00:25:21,320 Speaker 1: boned to the side by a dolphin, you know, a 472 00:25:21,400 --> 00:25:24,000 Speaker 1: thwarting the attack. So I don't know. I think I 473 00:25:24,040 --> 00:25:25,960 Speaker 1: think that's probably one of the reasons why they're such 474 00:25:25,960 --> 00:25:29,199 Speaker 1: an enigma to us, because again there's this connection seems 475 00:25:29,240 --> 00:25:32,760 Speaker 1: to happen um with us. But also like the video 476 00:25:32,840 --> 00:25:35,359 Speaker 1: you sent me, which was like, oh, yeah, shootest thing 477 00:25:35,400 --> 00:25:39,119 Speaker 1: I've ever seen of dolphin nuzzling with a kitten on 478 00:25:39,160 --> 00:25:41,399 Speaker 1: a boat. Yes, and I will definitely embed this on 479 00:25:41,480 --> 00:25:45,520 Speaker 1: the accompanying blog post for this for this article. But yeah, 480 00:25:45,640 --> 00:25:47,679 Speaker 1: you see like a cat walking over to the edge 481 00:25:47,720 --> 00:25:49,479 Speaker 1: of the swimming pool, or it's not swimming pool, it's 482 00:25:49,520 --> 00:25:52,120 Speaker 1: a dolphin tank, but walking to the edge of the tank, 483 00:25:52,119 --> 00:25:53,840 Speaker 1: and the dolphin comes up and they're like, like the 484 00:25:53,880 --> 00:25:56,080 Speaker 1: dolphins nuzzling the top of the cat's head the same 485 00:25:56,080 --> 00:25:59,000 Speaker 1: way that you know you need cat owners out there 486 00:25:59,040 --> 00:26:01,720 Speaker 1: likely to do to their own pet cat. It's straight 487 00:26:01,800 --> 00:26:03,760 Speaker 1: and yeah, it's it's very weird the way that the 488 00:26:03,800 --> 00:26:06,680 Speaker 1: dolphin does it because it's it's the cat obviously is 489 00:26:06,680 --> 00:26:08,199 Speaker 1: into it, and it's right on that part of the 490 00:26:08,240 --> 00:26:10,639 Speaker 1: head that the cat loves. Um. So there's that, and 491 00:26:10,680 --> 00:26:13,880 Speaker 1: then um there the other saying, you know, and just 492 00:26:14,640 --> 00:26:17,280 Speaker 1: I feel like we've already sort of be smirched dinosaurs 493 00:26:17,920 --> 00:26:19,639 Speaker 1: and talking about their sex lives, so we might as 494 00:26:19,640 --> 00:26:24,959 Speaker 1: well talk about dolphins. Turns out that these are randy folks. Yeah. Well, 495 00:26:24,960 --> 00:26:27,119 Speaker 1: it's not like they're trying to keep it private or anything. 496 00:26:27,160 --> 00:26:30,159 Speaker 1: They don't care. They're out there doing it. They have 497 00:26:30,240 --> 00:26:33,919 Speaker 1: sex stuff sex, not necessarily to procreate. And this is 498 00:26:33,960 --> 00:26:36,960 Speaker 1: so weird too. They actually can develop HPV, which is 499 00:26:37,040 --> 00:26:40,919 Speaker 1: human people of a virus. Uh. There was an interview 500 00:26:41,240 --> 00:26:45,720 Speaker 1: with um R Flo from Science Friday, and he was 501 00:26:45,760 --> 00:26:49,199 Speaker 1: talking to a couple of folks about this. Um. It 502 00:26:49,280 --> 00:26:52,280 Speaker 1: was an interview with Dr Hendrik Nolan's the University of Florida. 503 00:26:52,760 --> 00:26:54,480 Speaker 1: And let me just read it real quick. This is 504 00:26:54,480 --> 00:26:57,440 Speaker 1: a transcript of this. Uh, there was, It says from Plateau. 505 00:26:57,440 --> 00:26:59,920 Speaker 1: Another question you were intriguing me a boy talking about 506 00:26:59,920 --> 00:27:02,119 Speaker 1: the sea of viruses that are swimming in the ocean. 507 00:27:02,560 --> 00:27:04,040 Speaker 1: And one of those I was thinking about and I've 508 00:27:04,040 --> 00:27:08,800 Speaker 1: heard about, is this genital papuoma virus. UM. I know 509 00:27:08,840 --> 00:27:11,200 Speaker 1: there's a human papulovirus that might lead to cancer. Is 510 00:27:11,240 --> 00:27:13,240 Speaker 1: there something similar in that sea of viruses that might 511 00:27:13,280 --> 00:27:15,439 Speaker 1: be affecting the dolphins, and doctor Nolan says there is, 512 00:27:15,560 --> 00:27:17,520 Speaker 1: and it probably doesn't come from the c order. It 513 00:27:17,640 --> 00:27:21,040 Speaker 1: may be related to their sexual behavior maybe, which is 514 00:27:21,080 --> 00:27:25,240 Speaker 1: purely hypothesis. But no, dolphins do get genital papul imma 515 00:27:25,320 --> 00:27:28,439 Speaker 1: virus infections, and what is actually unique about them is 516 00:27:28,480 --> 00:27:31,439 Speaker 1: that they're the only other species other than humans that 517 00:27:31,440 --> 00:27:33,920 Speaker 1: we see multiple type of infections at the same time. 518 00:27:34,520 --> 00:27:37,600 Speaker 1: Um so, But the weird thing about is that that 519 00:27:37,680 --> 00:27:42,640 Speaker 1: doesn't actually develop into cervical cancer for dolphins. And that's 520 00:27:42,640 --> 00:27:44,760 Speaker 1: a big question from why that might happen in a 521 00:27:44,840 --> 00:27:49,360 Speaker 1: human and not in dolphins. In yeah, so, I mean 522 00:27:49,520 --> 00:27:54,199 Speaker 1: STD awareness campaigns, I think for dolphins. And well, one thing, 523 00:27:54,280 --> 00:27:56,040 Speaker 1: I've brought this up before and I will probably bring 524 00:27:56,040 --> 00:27:58,000 Speaker 1: it up in every discussion about dolphins for the rest 525 00:27:58,040 --> 00:28:02,760 Speaker 1: of my life. But um I the reports of Okay, 526 00:28:03,160 --> 00:28:04,960 Speaker 1: only a few people on this Earth can afford a 527 00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:08,960 Speaker 1: private submarine that allows him to go underwater, Branson, We're 528 00:28:08,960 --> 00:28:12,000 Speaker 1: looking at you and have and and the engage in 529 00:28:12,200 --> 00:28:15,080 Speaker 1: human sex in front of a an underwater plan again, 530 00:28:15,160 --> 00:28:20,320 Speaker 1: Richard Branson. So these people have reported dolphins coming and 531 00:28:20,320 --> 00:28:24,920 Speaker 1: watching this activity through the glass, which again that that's 532 00:28:24,960 --> 00:28:27,720 Speaker 1: just why is this happening? Why, what does the dolphin care? 533 00:28:27,720 --> 00:28:29,520 Speaker 1: What does the dolphin possibly get out of? Is it 534 00:28:29,560 --> 00:28:32,040 Speaker 1: just because there's motion and they're just curious? I mean, 535 00:28:32,240 --> 00:28:34,479 Speaker 1: I guess I would tend to decide with that versus 536 00:28:34,720 --> 00:28:38,520 Speaker 1: any kind of perversion on the dolphins. Well, I mean, 537 00:28:38,560 --> 00:28:40,880 Speaker 1: I think about John C. Lily's experiment too with his 538 00:28:40,960 --> 00:28:44,080 Speaker 1: female research assistant who lived in the flooded half for 539 00:28:44,120 --> 00:28:47,000 Speaker 1: two weeks with the dolphin. It began to expose his 540 00:28:47,160 --> 00:28:50,160 Speaker 1: genitals to her and began to rub up against her. 541 00:28:50,240 --> 00:28:52,280 Speaker 1: And I won't go into all the other things that did, 542 00:28:52,480 --> 00:28:57,800 Speaker 1: but uh, clearly like there's there's an interest in interspecies, 543 00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:02,360 Speaker 1: uh you know, going songs. Well, again, they're just rant 544 00:29:02,400 --> 00:29:05,200 Speaker 1: any importness in a storm, right, So I guess that's 545 00:29:05,200 --> 00:29:07,000 Speaker 1: I mean, I guess that's their attitude. Yeah, they have 546 00:29:07,040 --> 00:29:09,600 Speaker 1: a T shirt that says that, Yeah, well there you go. 547 00:29:09,840 --> 00:29:13,840 Speaker 1: We we managed to end that on again dolphins, sex 548 00:29:13,880 --> 00:29:17,960 Speaker 1: and STDs. And they still have a cheap smile though, 549 00:29:18,200 --> 00:29:20,760 Speaker 1: Yeah they do. And uh, of course we have a 550 00:29:20,800 --> 00:29:23,160 Speaker 1: lot of information on dolphins on the house stuff works 551 00:29:23,160 --> 00:29:25,560 Speaker 1: dot com website. If you just go to the home page. 552 00:29:25,600 --> 00:29:27,920 Speaker 1: There you'll find that the gold, big old search bar. 553 00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:31,400 Speaker 1: Just drop dolphins in there and just back in the 554 00:29:31,480 --> 00:29:35,320 Speaker 1: results that you will receive Heaven. Yeah, so they're more 555 00:29:35,360 --> 00:29:39,240 Speaker 1: information awaits you there. But hey, what awaits me now 556 00:29:39,600 --> 00:29:43,800 Speaker 1: is some listener mail. See what we have here? Ah, 557 00:29:43,920 --> 00:29:47,440 Speaker 1: here's one from Chris. Chris writes in and says, uh, 558 00:29:47,480 --> 00:29:52,160 Speaker 1: and he's responding to our episode about the five finger 559 00:29:52,200 --> 00:29:58,160 Speaker 1: evolutionary discount, about the the five fingers that we have 560 00:29:58,280 --> 00:30:00,840 Speaker 1: and that we share with just about every other animal 561 00:30:00,880 --> 00:30:03,040 Speaker 1: on the planet. And he says, today I was cutting 562 00:30:03,040 --> 00:30:05,680 Speaker 1: wood and I accidentally cut my pinky. When I went inside, 563 00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:08,160 Speaker 1: I put a band aid on it to keep it safe, 564 00:30:08,160 --> 00:30:10,480 Speaker 1: and I proceeded with my day. Before bed, I faithfully 565 00:30:10,480 --> 00:30:12,960 Speaker 1: brush my teeth, and an attempt to keep my band 566 00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:15,600 Speaker 1: aid intact, I tried not to use my pinkie, so 567 00:30:15,640 --> 00:30:18,640 Speaker 1: I stuck it out. Have you ever tried to brush 568 00:30:18,680 --> 00:30:21,280 Speaker 1: your teeth without your pinky? Let me tell you it 569 00:30:21,400 --> 00:30:24,400 Speaker 1: is really hard. When it comes to the turning to 570 00:30:24,440 --> 00:30:27,160 Speaker 1: get every single spot of tooth nice and clean, it 571 00:30:27,160 --> 00:30:30,080 Speaker 1: tends to be difficult. Indeed, we do need five fingers. 572 00:30:30,480 --> 00:30:33,720 Speaker 1: Um Chris from Manitoba. And then Chris adds ps. If 573 00:30:33,720 --> 00:30:36,520 Speaker 1: we didn't have pinkies, then when we drank tea, we 574 00:30:36,520 --> 00:30:38,880 Speaker 1: wouldn't be able to do the whole pinkies up routine. 575 00:30:39,320 --> 00:30:41,760 Speaker 1: See uh see they do come they do come in 576 00:30:42,040 --> 00:30:45,880 Speaker 1: very handy so here here. So that's some some excellent 577 00:30:45,880 --> 00:30:49,200 Speaker 1: research there from Chris uh And indeed you find this too. 578 00:30:49,560 --> 00:30:51,320 Speaker 1: I've found this to be the case. You know, you 579 00:30:51,320 --> 00:30:53,480 Speaker 1: you tend to discount some of your fingers. You're like pinkies. 580 00:30:53,480 --> 00:30:55,240 Speaker 1: I don't know what there for. You know, they're just 581 00:30:55,280 --> 00:30:57,440 Speaker 1: hanging out there on the end. But you you nick 582 00:30:57,520 --> 00:30:59,160 Speaker 1: your finger, you end up having to throw a band 583 00:30:59,200 --> 00:31:02,040 Speaker 1: aid over it, and and it's like totally inconveniences everything 584 00:31:02,040 --> 00:31:04,080 Speaker 1: you're doing throughout the day. Well, you become aware of 585 00:31:04,080 --> 00:31:06,360 Speaker 1: it all the time when you go to open a 586 00:31:06,400 --> 00:31:09,360 Speaker 1: door knob or heats, you know, brushing his teeth and yeah, 587 00:31:09,360 --> 00:31:11,080 Speaker 1: all of a sudden, you're like, I am more aware 588 00:31:11,120 --> 00:31:13,400 Speaker 1: of my fingers than I've ever been in my entire life, 589 00:31:14,080 --> 00:31:15,560 Speaker 1: and the fact that one of them is throbbing in 590 00:31:15,600 --> 00:31:19,120 Speaker 1: pain right now. And here's another bit of listener mail 591 00:31:19,200 --> 00:31:23,040 Speaker 1: from our listener Tom. And Tom writes in and says, uh, hey, 592 00:31:23,080 --> 00:31:25,280 Speaker 1: stuff to blow your Mind podcast. I can't say enough 593 00:31:25,280 --> 00:31:26,960 Speaker 1: how much you to enjoy your podcast along with the 594 00:31:26,960 --> 00:31:30,360 Speaker 1: Tech Stuff podcast. Indeed another fine listening choice. And uh, 595 00:31:30,480 --> 00:31:33,560 Speaker 1: actually it actually educates me as I drive among corn 596 00:31:33,600 --> 00:31:36,480 Speaker 1: fields on the way to work. Um, I tend to 597 00:31:36,520 --> 00:31:38,880 Speaker 1: listen to the episodes in Big Old Bunches. So I 598 00:31:38,880 --> 00:31:41,480 Speaker 1: am writing after listening to the podcast on music changing 599 00:31:41,480 --> 00:31:44,000 Speaker 1: our minds and changing our minds the hard way, So 600 00:31:44,120 --> 00:31:46,480 Speaker 1: that yeah, these were the one dealing with what happens 601 00:31:46,520 --> 00:31:48,000 Speaker 1: in our brain when we listen to music, and the 602 00:31:48,040 --> 00:31:51,920 Speaker 1: other what happens to our mind or the expression of 603 00:31:51,960 --> 00:31:54,720 Speaker 1: ourself when you say, gets struck by lightning or have 604 00:31:54,760 --> 00:31:58,720 Speaker 1: an iron rod fire up through your prefrontal cortex. Right, 605 00:31:58,760 --> 00:32:00,920 Speaker 1: how does that change the sense of yourself? Right? So 606 00:32:00,960 --> 00:32:03,120 Speaker 1: he says, when hearing that the music can actually alter 607 00:32:03,200 --> 00:32:06,120 Speaker 1: our moves and behavior and and possibly for the positive 608 00:32:06,160 --> 00:32:08,800 Speaker 1: and not the kiss army way my mom warned me 609 00:32:08,840 --> 00:32:12,040 Speaker 1: about my mind, immediately jumped to Bill and Ted's excellent Adventure, 610 00:32:12,720 --> 00:32:16,440 Speaker 1: another fine work. Yes, Uh, the scientific evidence actually makes 611 00:32:16,480 --> 00:32:20,080 Speaker 1: it seem movie plausible that the quote unquote perfect band 612 00:32:20,560 --> 00:32:24,760 Speaker 1: like Wild Stallions could actually bring about world peace. Awesome, 613 00:32:25,360 --> 00:32:28,080 Speaker 1: So that I that's that's interesting. I hadn't really made 614 00:32:28,120 --> 00:32:31,160 Speaker 1: the connection there between Bill and Ted and uh and 615 00:32:31,480 --> 00:32:34,640 Speaker 1: those topics. That's right. And then all everybody's neurons just 616 00:32:34,640 --> 00:32:36,840 Speaker 1: firing at the same time to the wild styling and 617 00:32:37,040 --> 00:32:40,760 Speaker 1: you know, feeling this unity and when this saving the 618 00:32:40,760 --> 00:32:44,440 Speaker 1: wall there you go. Well, hey, if you have any 619 00:32:44,480 --> 00:32:46,880 Speaker 1: strange movie connections to make, you know, I'm always game 620 00:32:46,960 --> 00:32:49,320 Speaker 1: for those, and you can share them with us at 621 00:32:49,760 --> 00:32:52,200 Speaker 1: at our Facebook account or our Twitter. We are Blow 622 00:32:52,240 --> 00:32:53,600 Speaker 1: the Mind on both of those and we try and 623 00:32:53,640 --> 00:32:56,520 Speaker 1: update those with all sorts of cool links and whatnot, 624 00:32:56,960 --> 00:32:58,960 Speaker 1: and you can always drop us a line at Blow 625 00:32:59,040 --> 00:33:04,880 Speaker 1: the Mind. That has to fork dot com for more 626 00:33:04,960 --> 00:33:06,960 Speaker 1: on this and thousands of other topics. VI is it 627 00:33:07,000 --> 00:33:09,800 Speaker 1: how stuff works dot com. To learn more about the podcast, 628 00:33:10,040 --> 00:33:12,560 Speaker 1: click on the podcast icon in the upper right corner 629 00:33:12,560 --> 00:33:15,640 Speaker 1: of our homepage. The How Stuff Works iPhone app has 630 00:33:15,680 --> 00:33:18,160 Speaker 1: a ride. Download it today on iTunes